Total control. That is one of the traits possessed by entrepreneurs
that makes them so special. They have the courage and self-confidence
to enter into the ultra-competitive business world and dare to succeed or
fail based on the decisions they make. Unfortunately, the need to be in control
can get entrepreneurs in trouble when they manage employees.

The positive trait of wanting to be in control leads some entrepreneurs
into the negative trait of being controlling. The result is the dreaded
micromanager. Micromanagers give employees tasks to do and then meddle
by overanalyzing every minute detail involved with the job in order to make
sure that it is “done right.” Decisions are constantly second-guessed,
individual problem-solving is shunned, and trust is thrown out the window.
Employees feel like they are being treated like children and get very frustrated
as a result of being disempowered. The manager’s actions make it seem
as though they have absolutely no confidence in the employee’s ability.
Before you know it, employee morale takes a nosedive.

But, hey, if the manager does not monitor the employee like Big Brother,
then the job won’t get done correctly, right? Wrong. Employees
can do things on their own if they are just given the chance. The proper
way to handle delegating responsibility is to focus on the result you want
and give employees the freedom to figure out how the task will be accomplished.
Managers should not worry about how an employee solves a problem as long as
the problem will get solved. On the other hand, not being a micromanager
does not mean that you close all lines of communication with employees.
Managers should still monitor progress on projects and should have an open
door to address questions that employees need to have answered in order to
make a better decision.

To illustrate how a manager should act, assume you assign an employee the
task of driving from Los Angeles to New York and give him a week to do it.
A micromanager would insist on deciding exactly what route to take, exactly
how many hours are driven per day, and exactly where to eat and sleep.
The micromanager would then follow the employee all the way across the country
and make sure that the instructions are carried out properly. That seems
like a slight waste of time, doesn’t it? The best way for a manager
to handle that situation is to ask the employee to call every few days to
make sure that the trip is going as planned. If there are any problems
or questions, the employee can contact the manager and a proper course of
action can be taken from that point.

So, what should be done if employees are given the freedom to do their jobs
and they are still constantly doing things wrong? In this case, managers
need to hire somebody who can actually do that job. A qualified employee
does not need anybody to constantly hold their hand. The goal should
be to hire good employees so the manager does not have to always worry about
that job function.

One key point to keep in mind is the rule for not micromanaging only applies
to employees that have already been fully trained. During the initial
phase of employment, managers should spend a lot of time with employees to
make sure that they are trained properly and feel sufficiently comfortable
with what they are supposed to do. Leaving an employee alone when they
are first hired makes about as much sense as leaving a newborn baby all alone.
However, once employees are fully trained, don’t keep making them wear diapers.

Under normal circumstances, once the training process is finished employees
can be given the freedom to make their own decisions and everybody is happy.
However, as crazy as it may sound, some employees actually want to be micromanaged
(we will call them microemployees). Microemployees keep asking questions
without making any attempt to make a decision themselves. They constantly
bring problems to the manager instead of solutions. These employees
must be forced to make decisions on their own. These employees will
have a difficult time adjusting when the bulk of the responsibility is placed
on themselves. Despite this initial resistance, it is imperative that managers
hold their ground and force employees to think and make decisions on their
own without having the managers hold their hands.

Let employees know what needs to be done and then get out of their way.
Don’t be a micromanager unless you want microprofits.

Gregory J. Blencoe is a management consultant and author
of The Art of Management. He has written articles for numerous
magazines including Success, Human Resources Executive, Business Credit,
and Canadian Business Franchise. Please feel free to contact him with
any questions at gblencoe@aol.com.